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Mir Hossein Mousavi said today that the Iranian regime has pressured him to drop his challenges to the disputed election, but that he would resist any efforts to abridge his "constitutional right to protest." The opposition leader has not been seen in public for days, reports the Guardian, and he wrote on his website today that his "access to people is completely restricted"—reinforcing speculation he might be detained or under house arrest.

Mousavi's statement came as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad lashed out at the United States for meddling in Iranian affairs. He called Barack Obama's recent remarks a "mistake" and accused him of saying "things that previously Bush used to say." Ahmadinejad held a victory celebration last night that more than 100 legislators failed to attend, suggesting a deep split among the political class. But the president still has the support of the military and security agencies, who continue to arrest hundreds of political opponents.

What is needed now by all supporters of the rule of law, social justice and human rights in the United States is strong support for the Obama administration's current position. Otherwise a dangerous void is created in the conversation about Iran in which the same people who sang, “Bomb, bomb Iran” are positioning themselves to be seen as the liberators of the very people they threatened to attack. We can support the administration’s position at present while urging the international community to condemn the violence used against civilians in Iran. -------------------------- Bitta Mostofi & Bill Quigley/ Common Dreams